Patients with Renal Failure are recommended to do dialysis by their doctors.
Some may feel puzzled why they need dialysis. This article will explain this to
you.
Dialysis is often called “artificial kidney”. Just as its name implies, it
can function like the kidneys to some degree. Then, what are the major functions
of the kidneys? Which of them can be replaced by dialysis?
·Filtering the blood
About 190 liters (335 pints) of blood enter the kidneys every day via the
renal arteries. The kidneys remove metabolic wastes and excess water (fluid) out
of the blood as it flows through the kidneys; and then metabolic wastes and
excess fluid would be passed out of the body in the form of urine.
·Balancing chemicals in your body
There are various chemicals in our blood. Some come from what we eat and
drink. Others are metabolic production. Our kidneys can automatically adjust the
amount of the chemicals according to the needs of the body.
·Releasing hormones
Healthy kidneys make hormones such as renin and angiotensin which regulate
how much sodium (salt) and fluid the body keeps, and the expansion and
contraction of the blood vessels. This, in turn, helps control blood
pressure.
They also produce erythropoeitin (EPO), which is carried in the blood to the
bone marrow where it stimulates the production of red blood cells. Without
enough red blood cells anemia can happen. Besides, our kidneys can keep bones
strong by producing the hormone called calcitriol which maintains the right
levels of phosphate and calcium in the blood and bones. And phosphate and
calcium balance is very importantin terms of keeping the bones healthy.
These are the major functions of kidneys. When kidneys are damaged, they are
not able to filter the blood as it should be, so toxic wastes and excess water
will build up in the body, causing server damages to other organs. Dialysis, as
a way to filtrate the blood, can solve this problem.
However, dialysis cannot well balance chemicals in our body; and it cannot
release any hormones, either. That’s the reason why we say dialysis could
replace part of the kidney functions.
If you still have questions , feel free to contact our online experts who are
ready to give you advice on your treatment based on your specific
conditions.
